Services mark 35th anniversary of glorification of St. Herman of Alaska

His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman, His Eminence, Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland, hierarchs, clergy, and faithful are led in procession by the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God during the 35th anniversary of glorification of St. Herman of Alaska and annual pilgrimage to Spruce Island, Alaska.

KODIAK, AK [OCA Communications] — His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman and His
Eminence, Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland presided at the celebration of the Divine Liturgy on Spruce Island on Monday, August 8, 2005, in conjunction with the 35th anniversary of the glorification of Saint Herman of Alaska.

The hierarchs, accompanied by the wonderworking Valaam Icon of the Mother of God, brought to Alaska from Finland’s New Valamo Monastery by Archbishop Leo, set out on one of several boats for the island. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the chapel marking the original site of Saint Herman’s grave.

On Tuesday morning, August 9, the feast of Saint Herman, the hierarchs concelebrated the Divine Liturgy in Kodiak’s Holy Resurrection Cathedral, in which Saint Herman’s relics are enshrined.

On Tuesday, August 2, Archbishop Leo and a delegation representing the autonomous Finnish Orthodox Church, accompanied by a delegation from the Orthodox Church in America that included His Grace, Bishop Seraphim of Ottawa and Canada, were warmly welcomed to Alaska by His Grace, Bishop Nikolai of Sitka, Anchorage, and Alaska. A Service of Thanksgiving was celebrated at Sitka’s historic Archangel Michael Cathedral.

While in Sitka, the Finnish delegation visited the 18th century Russian Bishop’s House and other historic sites. On Wednesday evening, August 3, they celebrated the Akathistos Hymn in honor of the Valaam Icon of the Mother of God at Archangel Michael Cathedral.

On Friday, August 5, Bishop Nikolai welcomed the Finnish delegation to Anchorage, where the Vigil for the Great Feast of the Transfiguration was celebrated at Saint Innocent Cathedral. The following morning, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Herman celebrated the festal Liturgy at the cathedral, with responses sung by the Finnish Choir from Valaam Monastery. After the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, August 7, Archbishop Leo presented Bishop Nikolai with a copy of the Valaam Icon. Later that evening, the hierarchs and delegations traveled to Kodiak, where the Akathistos Hymn was sung at Holy Resurrection Cathedral by the Saint Romanos Choir of Chicago.

Among the other hierarchs present for the anniversary celebration were His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the Romanian Episcopate; His Grace, Bishop Nikon of Boston and the Albanian Archdiocese; His Grace, Bishop Tikhon of Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania; and His Grace, Bishop Benjamin of Berkeley.

Photo coverage of the anniversary celebration and the visit of Archbishop Leo can be found in the July and August 2005 “Photo Gallery and Events” section of http://www.oca.org. Additional details and coverage will appear in “The Orthodox Church” newspaper.

Click here for speeches delivered by Archbishop Leo of Karelia and All Finland during his pilgrimage visit to Alaska.